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Bessent and He Lifeng meet this weekend before Trump-Xi summit on 24 Sep

The Japan Times (16 Sep 2026), citing Bloomberg, reports U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he will meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng this weekend ahead of a Trump-Xi summit set for 24 Sep in Washington. Coverage says the sides are discussing tariff cuts on goods including U.S. energy and agriculture, and that next week’s meetings are also likely to produce an agreement to cut duties on some Chinese manufacturing inputs. No official HS list or effective date has been published.

The Japan Times (16 Sep 2026), citing Bloomberg, reports that prospects for extending the U.S.-China trade truce are firming as both sides discuss cutting tariffs on goods including American energy and agricultural products ahead of next week’s leaders’ summit.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday he will meet Chinese counterpart He Lifeng this weekend, ahead of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping set for 24 Sep in Washington. People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that next week’s meetings are also likely to result in an agreement to cut duties on Chinese inputs for manufacturers.

Separately, Reuters (15 Sep) confirmed Bessent’s weekend meeting with He Lifeng as final preparatory talks before the White House visit. For importers, the practical gap remains: any reciprocal package discussed in recent coverage has been framed around roughly USD 30 billion per side, with no published product list or start date.

Source: The Japan Times / Bloomberg

Topics

  • tariffs
  • us-china
  • trade-policy
  • summit

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